Hibiscus
by Gogo Starship
Summary: Rachel feels insecure about her looks, and Jesse reminds her that she's beautiful. Part three of the Bouquet series.


Rachel stacked her books in her locker, her empty hand absent-mindedly fiddling with her nameplate necklace. She closed her locker and turned to head to her next class when an ice cold feeling spread throughout her entire body, and her eyes stung at the familiar sensation of corn syrup. She had been slushied _again. _

"Should've helped us funkify Aural Intensity, Man Hands," Santana smirked, wielding an empty slushie cup in her hands. Quinn stood next to her, and though she didn't have a cup, she was obviously there to help Santana in her torture. Rachel wiped the ice away from her face and glared.

"I don't care how much you insult me, Santana, I wouldn't change a thing," she said firmly.

"Whatever, RuPaul. Just know you have a second chance. We're going to funkify them again tomorrow, and the old offer stands. For the last time," Quinn warned. "We'll see you later, Treasure Trail."

The two sauntered away and Rachel watched them go for a moment before pulling her spare clothes and a towel out of her locker. She quickly slipped into the bathroom and toweled off, making sure her hair was dry and slushie-free before changing into her extra dress. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned.

She wasn't manly, was she? She knew she didn't have a treasure trail; that much was obvious from the smooth, hairless skin on her stomach. But did she really look like a drag queen? And were her hands really manly?

Rachel observed herself closely in her reflection, and with every second she stared at herself, she seemed to get uglier. She finally tore her eyes away from the mirror and went to class.

Throughout the entire day, Quinn and Santana would flick hateful little notes scribbled on bits of paper her way.

_Nice schnoze, Nozilla. _

_Are those catching mitts, or hands?_

_Those argyle sweaters are good at hiding those hairy chests, huh?_

Rachel stopped reading after that, and acted as if the notes had had absolutely no impact on her, though on the inside she was crumbling.

When she finally got home, Rachel broke down on her couch and cried. She was so sick of their treatment! She didn't _deserve_ their crap, she had _never _done anything wrong to them, and she was nearing the brink. She wanted nothing more than to run away and stay with Jesse in California, but unfortunately, her daddies would never allow it. She settled for calling him instead.

"Rachel!" he greeted cheerily, and Rachel just felt worse; he was so happy to talk to her, and all she was going to do was bring him down and remind him how manly his girlfriend is.

"Jesse," she whispered, her voice crackling, "do I look like a drag queen?"

"What? Of course not, Rachel, why would you say—" he paused, and Rachel could hear him breathing hard. "Were those hags at school tormenting you again?"

She ignored the last part. "And my hands," she continued, her voice still quaking, "are they manly?"

"Of course they aren't! Listen to me, Rachel, you are the most stunning, beautiful, elegant woman I've ever met in my life. If anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, ignore them. They're jealous because they'll be stuck in middle-of-nowhere Ohio, while you'll be hitting the Great White Way by the time you're twenty. While they flip burgers at the nearest McDonald's, you'll be singing Don't Cry For Me Argentina in front of a sold out crowd. They'll be lucky to say they met the wonderful Rachel Berry, and in ten years, you probably won't even remember their names."

Rachel smiled and heard a knock on her door, dread flooding her body as she stared at it angrily.

"Someone is at my door," she pouted, "but I don't want to answer, because then I'll have to hang up."

"Answer it," Jesse said with a laugh. His voice echoed slightly, and Rachel put it down to bad reception. "You can call me back later."

"No," she whined. Jesse was silent and after a moment, Rachel huffed. "Fine. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Later!" he hung up, and Rachel stared at her phone in shock. "Oh, so now he won't even say I love you? Nice job, Jesse!"

Rachel pulled open her door and dropped her phone. "Jesse!" she cried, flinging herself into his waiting arms. He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Surprise!" he yelled happily. Rachel just buried her face in the crook of his neck and refused to let go, much to his amusement.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" she said happily. Jesse held her tighter.

"I love you, too," he whispered, kissing her forehead. He let her go and led her to the couch, pulling her down to his lap. She perched there happily and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling at peace.

"What are you doing here? I thought Spring Break wasn't for two whole weeks!"

"I might have used a teeny tiny white lie so I could surprise you. I'm here for two whole weeks, baby, and the whole time, I'm yours," he smiled and pressed his lips to hers. Rachel's arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer.

"I've missed you so much. I wish I was there at UCLA with you," she told him, trying to keep from sounding too depressed. "There's nothing here for me, and Los Angeles would be such a wonderful place to live."

"I wish I could wisk you away, trust me. But you need to finish high school so you can get a full ride and come meet me there while getting an education. Though you're definitely a prize, I doubt you would enjoy being a trophy wife," he chuckled. Rachel giggled. She had missed this.

"Two years is too far away," she said. Jesse nodded his agreement and started stroking Rachel's hair, treating the action as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I'm willing to wait every day, if it means that I get to spend the rest of my life with you," he admitted. Rachel smiled and jumped up, pulling Jesse up the stairs toward her bedroom.

"We have some catching up to do," she whispered seductively. Jesse's eyes widened.

"You don't mean…?"

"No, I deserve my epic romance. But there's a lot of other things we can do," she suggested, giving a slight giggle as she disappeared into her bedroom. Jesse was quick to follow.

Rachel entered the choir room with a spring in her step. After the amazing time she had had with Jesse last night (nothing was more romantic to them than a Wiggles marathon), nothing could have possibly brought her down. She sat front and center that day, wanting to be dead center instead of in the very back corner. She was too cheery to lurk in the shadows.

"Hey, Rach," Mercedes greeted, sitting loyally by Rachel's side.

"Hey, Cedes, guess what," she demanded lowly. Mercedes shrugged.

"I dunno, you got a new animal sweater?" she joked. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"This is serious!" she groused. "Fine, since you can't stop cracking jokes, I'll tell you. Jesse's in town!"

"_Why_?"

"Gee, Mercedes, I so appreciate the enthusiasm," Rachel said sarcastically. "Apparently, his spring break was a whole two weeks before he said it was- he wanted to surprise me, isn't that sweet?" She sighed dreamily, her bottom lip clenched between her teeth as she absent-mindedly twirled a lock of hair. Santana's cold voice pulled her out of her daze.

"Look, Dwarf is dreaming of the mothership," she said snidely. Rachel's eyes snapped over to meet the Latina's. She immediately looked away and ignored her.

"Aw, don't be like that Hobbit," she cooed. Rachel stared ahead, refusing to waiver. "Come on, RuPaul, don't be that way, I—"

"Flower delivery for Rachel Berry!"

A tall figure, dressed in all black, stood in the doorway. Their head was hidden behind a large bunch of hibiscus flowers. All of the glee kids and Mr. Schue, who had just walked out of his office, stared at the figure in confusion. The flowers lowered and revealed the handsome face of one Jesse St. James.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Finn demanded. He stood so fast his chair fell over, but Jesse studiously ignored him and walked over to where Rachel was standing, bowing slightly as he presented the flowers. Rachel giggled and accepted them gratefully, her cheeks a flaming red as she leaned in close to whisper.

"What are you doing here? I thought you agreed that it was best to keep it a secret." Her voice was so low she was surprised Jesse heard her. He shrugged.

"To hell with it. You're mine, and I want the world to know," he whispered back. "I can't wait to see their faces afterwards."

"After what?" she asked nervously. Jesse hauled Rachel off her feet and held her flush against him, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. Rachel responded eagerly, ignoring the angry jeering from her fellow glee club members, only focusing on Jesse, and how soft his hair was, and how his lips set every nerve in her body on fire. They both had to come up for air, and when she finally realized what was going on, she let her hair form a curtain to hide her flaming cheeks.

"Rachel, what the hell?"

"Don't talk to her like that, Hudson," Jesse said angrily, wrapping a protective arm around Rachel. She slapped his arm gently and shook her head at him.

"Although your overprotective nature is endearing, I can speak for myself, Jesse," she said sternly, though a smile was tugging at her lips. She turned to Finn and the smile instantly slid off her face. "If you must know, Jesse and I are in a committed relationship, and have been for about a month now."

"That asshole _egged _you, and you just fucking forgave him?" he snapped. Rachel's jaw clenched and she stepped out of Jesse's grasp and got in Finn's face.

"He's hardly an asshole, Finn! If anything, you are, because you've done much worse to me," she said angrily.

"What like dumping you after you cheated on me?"

"No, like cheating on your girlfriend with me, using me to try and get a scholarship, dumping me the second Santana and Brittany came along, and then lying to me after I told you the truth and gave you a perfectly acceptable opportunity to be honest with me, but you don't seem to understand the definition of the word!" she snarled. Finn actually had the decency to look ashamed.

"Whatever," he sulked, kicking a chair petulantly as he picked up his own seat and grabbed Quinn's hand. She stared at him coldly, and Rachel knew a fight was brewing between them. She didn't care in the slightest.

"This is the sweetest thing," she said to Jesse, obviously speaking of the flowers in her hand. "I can't remember what hibiscus means, though."

"Delicate beauty," he told her happily, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "You're drop-dead gorgeous, Rachel, and no matter what bitches like her say," he pointed at Santana, who looked ready to kill, "I want you to know I will always love you, and that you are the most enticing creature I have ever laid eyes on."

"Wow, Jesse, you really are an amazing actor. I almost believed you for a second," Santana laughed. Jesse's eyes hardened as he glared at the Latina, and he opened his mouth to snap at her, but Rachel placed a hand on his arm in comfort.

"At least my boyfriend is with me because he loves me, and he's not just trying to get in my pants," Rachel said simply. She grabbed Jesse's hand and skipped out of the choir room, feeling more sure of herself than she had in a very long time.

Part three- only two left until it's all over! :D

**So, send me feedback, and let me know which of the final two you want to come first- **

**Lilac- First love**

**Or **

**Amaryllis- Dramatic**

**Let me know through a review ****:)**

**Cheers! **

**-Harlot (who doesn't own Glee)**


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